After they flew home, Trevor expected to hear from Braxton as soon as they landed, but the call never came. Instead, he pounded on his door the next night, shit-face drunk. Trevor opened the door and he stormed in, gun pointed in one hand and a bottle of Jack in the other, demanding him to explain why he never mentioned B’s real name. Trevor almost pissed himself trying to explain, but then Braxton sat down, right on his dingy, old, futon and broke. There were no tears, but it was as close to crying as a man like Braxton gets. He said he didn’t understand why she left, called her his soul mate, said he loved her, said he’d do anything for her, would kill anyone for her, killed Cole for her. Trevor let him have his moment on the couch, not fully grasping what he was going on about. He sat next to him, patting his back and tried awkwardly to console him, but in the end, just being there was all he needed.
Braxton slept on his futon that night, cuddling the bottle as well as his pistol, but was gone by the time Trevor woke the next morning. They met nightly thereafter and he was back to acting like his normal hard ass self. Trevor never brought up what happened. It didn’t feel right to highlight his insecure moment, and knowing his softer side made it a lot easier for him to get on board with his fucked up as shit plan; not that he had a choice. Braxton was the Devil and Trevor would be his pawn. He was the only one close enough to Annie to help take everything away. Braxton needed him, his plan was nothing without him. It was yet another reason he was no longer scared.
When Trevor didn’t answer Braxton’s redundant question of if he really said that to him, he sat back down, calming his sensitive ego.
“I know how to deal with her Trevor and I don’t need to explain myself to you. I need to get her to see things my way. Break her a little. It’s what she needs.”
“What she needs or what you need?”
“Both. I’m going to fucking deck you.” It might have been dark, but Trevor could hear the smile gracing Braxton’s face.
“So the phone’s done. What’s next?”
“That’s something I have planned to do myself. She’s going to hate it. It’ll be great.” He clapped his hands together once, happy over her demise.
“You’re crazy man.”
“Don’t ever fucking forget it.”
“Couldn’t if I wanted to. I do have a question about your madman plans though.”
“Shoot.”
“Why’d you go to the effort to make the two phones look identical when they were different version phones? She knew right away it was you.”
“Exactly. If we simply switched out her phone she wouldn’t know how close I am. Now she does. Now she’s going over and over about it in her mind trying to figure out when I did it, where I could have been close enough to take it and download all the information without her ever noticing the phone was missing.”
“Which was?” Trevor probed.
“Last night around three when she finally fell asleep. I learned my lesson though; next time I want to take something from her when she’s sleeping I’m just going to drug her. It’d be a hell of a lot faster than waiting around.”
“I didn’t hear that.” There were some things Trevor preferred Braxton not talk about. Wanting to drug Annie was right up there with when he talked about wanting to kill her. He didn’t believe Braxton would do either, but he didn’t want to hear about their potential possibility.
Braxton stood from the table and Trevor followed after. “I saw the news today,” he mentioned as they walked. “I didn’t think it was going to happen so soon.”
“Why not? It should have happened sooner. If she lived in Michigan like Cole thought, it would have happened immediately. I chose today because of its significance; his ten-year incarceration anniversary. The timing was pretty fucking perfect.”
“Well did you have to make it so brutal? Wasn’t he like a father to you? Sort of makes me wonder what you’ll do to me if I ever step out of line.”
“Good. Don’t step out of line,” he said seriously, but with a hint of humor. “If you knew everything he’s done, your tone would be different right now. You think I’m evil, but I’m an angel compared to him.”
“Still. You had him raped. Jesus. Couldn’t you have just stuck with the stabbing?”
“No. I needed the motive misleading and my men to be angry. If he was just killed that wouldn’t have happened. The chance of dying goes with the territory of being in the Emmo.”
“Have you talked to Benny? Does he know it was you?”
Over the past couple weeks Braxton filled Trevor in on all sorts of Emmo information, including their upper management.
“Of course he doesn’t know. You’re the only one I told and that was a stupid drunk slip. Benny thinks I’m off fighting for my girl. That’s as much of the truth as he’ll ever get.”
“But have you talked to him today? What’s he going to do?”
Trevor stood by his car waiting for an answer. Braxton was parked up the street and continued walking, but turned back to face him.
“He’s doing what I told him. Holding ground and fishing out the group that’s trying to take us down. I pegged it on them, and once we find out who they are, they’re going to regret ever fucking with us.
Sixteen
Keith pulled up to The Phoenician ten minutes early. In his mind, if you were on time, you were late, and whoever arrived first always held the upper hand. He walked through the main lobby doors and inhaled the sweet scent. It was always the same. A smell he couldn’t name, but enjoyed nonetheless. The hotel sold the scent in the form of candles. He and Annabel had three of them throughout the house, but it wasn’t the same as the original. Didn’t come close.
He turned left, down the short corridor to a set of elevators. Two older women stepped off, ready for their golf lesson in plaid shorts and sneakers. Keith wasn’t a hotel regular, but he knew a tourist when he saw one. He walked past them with a smile and pressed the button for floor six. The doors were slow to close, but he didn’t waste time straightening his tie in the mirror and fussing with his short blonde hair. He looked good. Always did. If there was one thing his debutant mother taught him, it was how to dress and the importance of appearance.
The doors to the elevator opened revealing the hotel’s well-known steakhouse. A young girl, no older than twenty-one stood as gatekeeper to the dining area behind a tall black podium.
“Reservation for two,” Keith stated. “Should be under Nichols.”
The girl looked down at the reservation screen sunk into the dark wood to find his name. “Ah yes. Here you are,” she tapped the screen with her forefinger. “The other man in your party already arrived.”
Keith didn’t miss the slight blush to her cheeks when she referenced the man he was meeting.
“I’ll show you to your table.” The hostess moved aside and Keith followed, trailing her into the lounge and past a long row of cushioned couches.
He recognized Carter immediately, seated at a table in the back corner near a floor to ceiling window. Making eye contact, he slid out of the booth and stood to greet him. “Carter I presume?” Keith held out a hand to shake and the man met his grasp firmly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Carter adjusted his jeans while making a move to sit back down. His tie-free shirt hung un-tucked, but the Breitling ticking on his wrist made the laid back attire more fitting for the sophisticated restaurant than Keith’s three-piece suit.
“I hope this table’s okay. They originally had us at one over there,” he pointed toward the main dining area where all the tables clustered together. “But it just felt too stuffy.”
“This works for me,” Keith answered with a passive demeanor, sitting in the chair across from him with the window view. “I think I have the best seat in the house.”
The sun, still a couple hours from setting, propelled a red glow through the clouds, highlighting the valley’s horizon. It was beautiful. Keith settled in on his chair and rested his forearms on the
table. A menu sat before him and he glanced down to see what he might like to order.
“Are you hungry or did you just want to do drinks?”
“I could eat,” Carter replied, flipping his menu over to see the food selection.
“Good. I’m starving. It’s been one of those days. I was so caught up in briefs I forgot to have lunch.” Keith’s stomach growled as if to further accentuate his statement.
“I get the feeling you have those days often.”
“I do. Too often. With Jason’s case and finishing up a few others I barely have time to breath.”
“I know how that goes. When I’m working it’s usually hard to differentiate between my job and my life.”
“What are you working on now?” Keith asked, glancing around the restaurant for a waiter.
“Nothing too much, just some odds and ends. My wife was having issues with my job so I cut back quite a bit.” Carter ran a hand across the top of his shaved head and let out a deep breath. “We’re not together anymore though so I’m actually looking forward to drowning myself in work.”
Keith didn’t know how to respond. It was a personal admission for having just met someone. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. When it comes to your case it will be the best thing to ever happen. When I figure all this shit out for you you’re going to want to thank her.”
The man’s arrogance caught Keith off guard. He hadn’t hired him yet. There were other investigators he could reach out to. He almost said something to that effect, but was interrupted by a server setting a pint of Guinness on the table in front of Carter. It looked good, cold and more refreshing than the water he planned to order. “I’ll take one of those as well,” he told the waiter before ordering an appetizer of fried calamari and a filet Mignon as his main dish.
Carter ordered a steak as well, only he added on a side of lobster. It was going to be an expensive business dinner, but looking the part of high profile lawyer went hand in hand with actually being one.
Keith wanted to keep things light before jumping into the real reason they were there and made idol chit chat, commenting on the restaurant’s food and mentioned it was some of the best he’d ever had. He also complimented Carter on his watch and found out it was a purchase he made right after landing his first retainer gig with a multimillion dollar company. Keith was impressed and maybe a little jealous. He was by no means poor, but buying a watch that costs as much as his car wasn’t something he could ever do. Well he could. If he wanted it bad enough he could go to the jeweler and pay cash, but he’d never been a frivolous spender. That was something he and Annabel never fought about. Money. They both grew up in affluent households and didn’t seem to be fazed by how much money they had. When you’re given everything for half your life, random purchases seem to lose their appeal and instead, working hard for something and feeling proud about it becomes the more fulfilling choice.
Carter brought up the Diamondbacks and mentioned how well they were doing. They were Keith’s favorite team even though he never watched them anymore. He used to love rooting for the underdog and liked it even more when they won. Back in 2001 when they took home the world championship he was never more excited. He was a junior at USC and was already being scouted to play for them. If finishing college wasn’t such a required accomplishment to his family, he would have dropped out to be in the major leagues. Instead he bid his time, played as a Trojan and was the best damn pitcher the school had in years. He took them to win the LA Regional and the Super Regional. Those were the good old days. He’d play ball, drink with his fraternity brothers and fool around with more women than you’d think possible. Girls would come over, do his laundry, make him dinner and blow him before they left just so they could brag about it later to their friends. It was great. Every once in a while he’d find a girl he wanted to stick around for a bit. He’d take her out on dates, spoil her rotten and screw her every chance he got, but he’d always pay attention to the calendar. He and his frat brothers had a hard three-month rule. Not one day longer. When the day arrived he cut all ties, no matter how well she perceived their relationship to be going. It was a dick move, but at the time he didn’t care. He was young and having fun; that is until the day it stopped being fun. Keith absentmindedly rubbed his elbow. If you looked close you could still see the scar, faint but visible.
Keith realized he had been silent for a while, lost in his own thoughts and finally responded to Carter’s statement about the D-backs playing well.
“You know, I don’t really watch baseball that much.”
“No? Not a sports guy? Or is football more your thing?”
“Definitely football these days. My wife’s family has Cardinal’s season tickets. Great seats. Center stadium and five rows up from the field. No matter how busy I am we usually find time to make it to a game or two.”
“Lucky man,” Carter said as the waiter arrived with Keith’s beer. “A wife who likes sports is a rarity. I’ll drink to that.” He picked up his beer and took a sip.
“I’m happy to drink to that too, cheers to the man who landed a hot wife who likes sports, but that’s not Annabel.” He laughed and took a few gulps from his beer. It was ice cold and hit the spot. “She hates sports. Especially football. When I said we usually go, I meant I go and drag her kicking and screaming along. She would literally rather watch paint dry.”
“Then why go? Or go alone. Sometimes that’s better.”
“Trust me, I know,” Keith groaned. “But I can’t go alone either. It’s an ongoing battle but stems down to the fact that my wife’s family is fucking weird.”
“Said no man ever,” Carter joked.
“No. Seriously,” Keith shook his head. “My mother-in-law was a famous newscaster here back in the day and has a complex that everyone is always watching, and my father-in-law is the Chief Justice so they always feel like they need to be on their A-game. Us included. If I went to a game alone, what would it say about Annabel and I?”
Carter raised a brow. “That you’re a man and wanted to go to a football game.”
“Right?” Keith threw up a hand in frustration. “But no, her parents think people will question our relationship or family values and shit like that. Like we’re the Kardashians or something. Sometimes I just want to scream at them, NO ONE KNOWS WHO WE ARE,” he emphasized with a loud enough voice for Carter to hear the infliction, but not the rest of the restaurant. “But Annabel has my balls locked up somewhere so I continue to play the dutiful husband.”
They both laughed at his joke as the waiter set down the plate of calamari between them.
“Have at it man,” Keith gestured toward the plate and Carter leaned forward, picking up one of the breaded rings and dipped it in the side of marinara.
“What’s your wife think about all this? Is she on your side or the parents?”
Keith leaned his head from side to side, thinking of his answer and finished his bite before speaking. “She doesn’t usually play the game, sort of keeps to herself on the matter, but it’s definitely changed in the past year or so. Her father announced he was running for Governor and right on the heels of his announcement Annabel had some personal health issues and ended up receiving more attention on the matter than she cared to and I think it sort of scarred her into believing that people really are watching what she does and judging her every move. Not that it should matter, but when you live life for thirty years being told it does, eventually you start to believe it.”
“I can see that. What’s Annabel do for a living? Or does she play the dutiful housewife?”
“Dutiful housewife. That’s funny. No, she’s a psychologist and she’s brilliant. I couldn’t get her to quit her job and stay at home if my life depended on it. She’s always been into the whole psychology thing. We met in college and I could barely pull her away from the stacks to take her on a date.”
“Is that so? You into the whole book nerd thing?”
“Hardly. She doesn�
��t look like a book nerd. I mean she’s reserved, never one to flaunt herself, but she’s beautiful. Always has been. You’ll see. I’m sure you’ll meet her one day.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Keith thought back on the night he first met Annabel and remembered it fondly. It wasn’t something he would usually share on a business meeting, but so far the meeting wasn’t business at all. It felt like he was catching up with an old friend. His initial apprehension on the guy out the window. “You know what’s funny? When I first met her, I was actually into a friend of hers. Sara. She had a chest out to here,” he motioned forward with his hands and shook his head remembering his naïve stupidity. “She sat next to me in one of my classes and seemed like a cool girl. I invited her to my frat’s house party in the hopes of sealing the deal, but she showed up with Annabel and that plan was gone. Every guy in there wanted her. She had this very modest, knee length, sundress on that was somehow sinful given the lack of skin display, and the guys were pawning over her like a forbidden fruit. I didn’t care for that much. I bet one of my brothers one hundred dollars I’d bag her by the end of the night and then swooped in, not caring that I hadn’t said one word to Sara. I was a bit of an ass back then.”
“You were young,” Carter defended. “So did you? You have that hundred dollars mounted on a wall somewhere?”
“Nope,” he leaned forward picking up the last piece of calamari. “Let’s just say, if I made that bet every night until I slept with her my brother would have over thirty-five thousand dollars hanging on his wall somewhere.”
Carter laughed deep and loud. The couches in the lounge had filled with people and Keith could sense them looking their way after his outburst.
“She must be some girl.”
“She is. She had me wrapped around her finger from day one. She stayed at that party listening to me rattle on about how amazing I was, but she didn’t seem to care. At the end of the night when I thought I struck out and wasn’t getting anywhere, she kissed me. Pulled out every innocent teasing move you could think of and then told me goodnight. I remember standing in the middle of our shit hole living room with stars in my eyes like a love drunk fool and I’m not embarrassed to admit it.”
Caged Page 34
